Structured elements with capabilities for stream flow division and distribution and mitigation of undesired species that exceed those of conventionally available materials are provided. The structured elements provide increased opportunities for surface attraction, retention and coalescence of undesired species in a process stream. The functional contact surfaces of the structured elements can include one or more of the faces of cells, the surfaces of struts connecting cells, the surfaces of nodes connecting struts, and the surfaces of asperities or irregularities caused by channels, flutes, spikes, fibrils or filaments in or on the material surfaces.

Structured elements with capabilities for stream flow division and distribution and mitigation of undesired species that exceed those of conventionally available materials are provided. The structured elements provide increased opportunities for surface attraction, retention and coalescence of undesired species in a process stream. The functional contact surfaces of the structured elements can include one or more of the faces of cells, the surfaces of struts connecting cells, the surfaces of nodes connecting struts, and the surfaces of asperities or irregularities caused by channels, flutes, spikes, fibrils or filaments in or on the material surfaces.

A method and device for the purification of phosphoric acid contained in a residual solution is provided that includes undesirable volatilizable materials. The residual solution is mixed with a solution of enriched phosphoric acid and is sprayed into a flame of a combustion chamber in order to form a combustion solution P3 of phosphoric acid purified of the undesirable volatilizable materials. The combustion gases resulting from the combustion chamber are contacted with a feed solution in a gas-acid contactor in order to increase the temperature and concentration of P.sub.2O.sub.5 and thus to form the solution of enriched phosphoric acid. A portion of this solution is conveyed at a flow rate Qp into the combustion chamber. The remainder of the solution is conveyed into a recycle loop in order to be reintroduced into the gas/acid contactor at a flow rate Q2. The ratio of the flow rates, Qp/(Qp+Q2) is controlled at a predefined value.

The invention relates to an improved catalyst based on a tableted molded catalyst body, containing a metal-containing mixture, containing copper, zinc, and aluminum, with calcium aluminate as a binder material with a weight fraction of calcium aluminate in the range of 1.0% to 30.0%, for synthesizing methanol from synthesis gas. The invention further relates to the production of the catalyst and to the use of the catalyst in the synthesis of methanol from synthesis gas.

A method for facilitating the distribution of the flow of one or more streams within a bed vessel is provided. Disposed within the bed vessel are internal materials and structures including multiple operating zones. One type of operating zone can be a processing zone composed of one or more beds of solid processing material. Another type of operating zone can be a treating zone. Treating zones can facilitate the distribution of the one or more streams fed to processing zones. The distribution can facilitate contact between the feed streams and the processing materials contained in the processing zones.

A method for facilitating the distribution of the flow of one or more streams within a bed vessel is provided. Disposed within the bed vessel are internal materials and structures including multiple operating zones. One type of operating zone can be a processing zone composed of one or more beds of solid processing material. Another type of operating zone can be a treating zone. Treating zones can facilitate the distribution of the one or more streams fed to processing zones. The distribution can facilitate contact between the feed streams and the processing materials contained in the processing zones.

A cascade reactor scheme with acid and hydrocarbon flowing in reverse directions. The systems and processes for alkylation of olefins herein may include providing a first olefin to a first alkylation zone, and a second olefin to a second alkylation zone. Isoparaffin may be provided to the first alkylation zone. The isoparaffin and first olefin may be contacted with a partially spent sulfuric acid in the first alkylation zone to form a spent acid phase and a first hydrocarbon phase including alkylate and unreacted isoparaffin. The first hydrocarbon phase and second olefin may be contacted with a sulfuric acid feed in the second alkylation zone to form a second hydrocarbon phase, also including alkylate and unreacted isoparaffin, and the partially spent sulfuric acid that is fed to the first alkylation zone. Further, the second hydrocarbon phase may be separated, recovering an isoparaffin fraction and an alkylate product fraction.

A corrugated structured packing sheet has surface texturing that may be in the form of a grid of indented and raised structures. Each indented structure is separated from some or all of adjacent ones of the indented structures by the raised structures. The raised structures form rows of peaks and interconnecting saddles. Microchannels extend along adjacent ones of the indented structures and the interconnecting saddles and intersect the corrugation valleys at an angle in the range of 20 to 75 degrees. The surface texturing may be or include wavy parallel grooves in an upper edge region adjacent the upper edge and a lower edge region adjacent the lower edge and may be or include parallel groove segments in the bulk region that are oriented obliquely to upper and lower edges of the structured packing sheet.

A method for facilitating the distribution of the flow of one or more streams within a bed vessel is provided. Disposed within the bed vessel are internal materials and structures including multiple operating zones. One type of operating zone can be a processing zone composed of one or more beds of solid processing material. Another type of operating zone can be a treating zone. Treating zones can facilitate the distribution of the one or more streams fed to processing zones. The distribution can facilitate contact between the feed streams and the processing materials contained in the processing zones.

A method for facilitating the distribution of the flow of one or more streams within a bed vessel is provided. Disposed within the bed vessel are internal materials and structures including multiple operating zones. One type of operating zone can be a processing zone composed of one or more beds of solid processing material. Another type of operating zone can be a treating zone. Treating zones can facilitate the distribution of the one or more streams fed to processing zones. The distribution can facilitate contact between the feed streams and the processing materials contained in the processing zones.